Nixon White House Tapes ›Tape 269 › Conversation 269-018

Nixon & Colson on National Economy and Steel Industry

Tuesday, August 3, 1971 · 10:19 AM–10:32 AM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Colson, Charles W.Conversation269-018 onTape 269 (tape position 02:02:04–02:15:05)StartTuesday, August 3, 1971 at 10:19 AMEndTuesday, August 3, 1971 at 10:32 AMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 269-018 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Charles Colson met to discuss the national economy, focusing on rising steel prices, unemployment figures, and the administration's messaging strategy. They addressed the need to manage public perception through economic talking points and discussed strategies to counter political criticism from Senator Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. and other Republicans. Nixon directed Colson to organize a coordinated effort to influence GOP legislators and prepare effective materials for upcoming electoral messaging.

Audio

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This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the player above contains the full tape segment shared with neighbouring conversations. It begins about 02:02:04 into the tape and ends around 02:15:05.

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) ·JSON data · Timestamps are positions within the full tape recording.

2:02:52Call some police.
2:04:14Hello?
2:04:15Yeah.
2:04:17Hello?
2:04:17Well, what's new today?
2:04:19Yeah, except for Steele's price rise.
2:04:24Well, we didn't expect that.
2:04:25Yeah.
2:04:25Yeah, there was a big win one day.
2:04:42Steele and Railroads, yeah.
2:04:51Yeah.
2:05:02One thing I noted, incidentally, on looking at Weicker's blast, is that, remember I said that not only should we keep that thing for about a day, not a whole lot of two days, but not only should we try to freeze the 19 candidates, but I agree with Bob that we have to get rid of Weicker, we have to get rid of him, and I think we've got to return to common sense on those things.
2:05:33Yeah.
2:05:34Yeah.
2:05:35Yeah.
2:05:40Yeah.
2:05:40Yeah.
2:05:43Yeah.
2:05:44Yeah.
2:05:57Yeah.
2:05:58Well, we have some people that are quite close to him.
2:06:01Somebody ought to have a talk with him.
2:06:02Gregor probably doesn't know him yet.
2:06:05Somebody is probably going to take a look here.
2:06:07You just don't know who to get yourself a name on the list by taking this line.
2:06:13He's great.
2:06:15He's great.
2:06:15He's done a great job.
2:06:22Yeah, he's playing an airline right down the line, and also he's just coming out to Dr. Henry to get help from us to eat cold turkey.
2:06:33Oh, I know that.
2:06:34Yeah.
2:06:39We know that.
2:06:40I know that.
2:06:43So we're working on it.
2:06:44We're going to arrest him and put the hell away.
2:06:54Yeah, you say, look, gee, we're all boys.
2:06:56Don't blame the Democrats.
2:06:57Talk about the problem.
2:06:59And then some of those people up there, of course, are after the income policy.
2:07:04Unfortunately, they'll be out of here during the month of August.
2:07:06They're going to give us some time to rest.
2:07:09Although they may, of course, do it from outside.
2:07:34Well, I feel they will if they run an intersection such as I have.
2:07:37In other words, it even affects that stupid sanctuary.
2:07:49Great.
2:08:12He actually was a very capable man, a Massachusetts fellow who got that benefit from the hand-held Senate.
2:08:24Yeah.
2:08:24Yeah.
2:08:24But he really showed that, I see.
2:08:32He replaced him in China probably.
2:08:34The Democrats were divided.
2:08:58as long as you get it, that's for sure.
2:09:03What do retail sales come up with?
2:09:07They're not out yet.
2:09:29How was June?
2:09:31Yeah.
2:10:02Oh, they can fly in a few, just never know what's going to happen.
2:10:05Just what are they going to do?
2:10:13That'll blow up.
2:10:14Oh, no.
2:10:19Six maybe.
2:10:22Well, you see, the difficulty is, remember, they think there's an aberration because that was taken in the first week in June.
2:10:32You know, when the kids were not allowed to go to jobs.
2:10:38Yeah.
2:10:38Yeah, it doesn't mean that there's any change.
2:10:50I know, yeah, yeah.
2:10:51Well, that wasn't affected this one, too.
2:10:56Yeah, yeah.
2:11:02Let me ask you this, if the Connolly, the talking points, you know, with regard to the strong points of the economy, did Connolly get, is there a page on that or something that I, yeah, send that to Buchanan.
2:11:16Yeah, I'd like to see what the, I'd like to get that to Buchanan to get a crack at preparing something for me that I want to use for the election.
2:11:31Jesus, it's terrible.
2:11:33He just doesn't get anything.
2:11:35He just can't put it down in any update language, any language or anything.
2:11:44That's right.
2:11:46That's good.
2:11:46Well, if Daddy could also, so God may him honest, you know, just put our side down.
2:11:54Good one, Patriot.
2:11:54Good.
2:11:55Good.
2:11:58Send over both.
2:11:59Can't wait.
2:12:02Great.
2:12:02Right.
2:12:04Yeah.
2:12:06Yeah.
2:12:16They're the worst pointers of all.
2:12:19Yeah.
2:12:20Well, why are you supposed to be doing those if you can't make any headway on them?
2:12:30Yeah.
2:12:32decisions.
2:12:38The month of August is a good month to do it.
2:12:49It's before you get into the September
2:12:59can help build up the psychology of marriage and service of change here.
2:13:37Yeah.
2:13:38Well, it's a major survey now, and I would hope it should begin to show some turnaround of that part of that field curve.
2:13:52Well, that's what we should have, you know.
2:13:56And also, you said, you want to point out these receptions that we have out there in Iowa and Ohio.
2:14:05Have you done that?
2:14:08Yeah.
2:14:19Right.
2:14:20Well, of course if he doesn't find it, you can't show him anything.
2:14:24Yeah.
2:14:25But I don't want any of the herds that are down the list, you know what I mean?
2:14:31If you can't do the galloping, you can't know what game he's playing.
2:14:37Those around there.
2:14:41The school is at 10 George Junior High.
2:14:53That's what it is.
2:14:56Well, anyway, if you can get some more psychology like Brad Marshall, that's a good idea.
2:15:00Have somebody work right on Weicker.
2:15:01I mean, not just Weicker, but get two, three, or four of those people, call Weicker and say, what do you think, Senator, if you're a Republican, let's get him in.

NARA Description

On August 3, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:19 am to 10:32 am. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 269-018 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 269-18

Date: August 3, 1971
Time: 10:19 am - 10:32 am
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Charles W. Colson.

     National economy
          -Strikes

              -Steel price increase
                    -Steel industry
                    -Railroad industry
        -Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.'s statements
              -Possible administration response
                    -Briefing
                    -John B. Connally
                    -Clark MacGregor
              -Administration policy
                    -Democrats' position
              -Congressional recess
              -William B. Saxbe
        -Unknown man
              -Massachusetts
                    -People's Republic of China [PRC]
              -Democrats
        -Retail sales figures
              -June 1971
        -Unemployment
              -Figure
              -Youth
        -Talking points
              -Connally
                    -Patrick J. Buchanan
                    -Paul W. McCracken
                    -Howard H. Baker, Jr. [?]
        -Peter M. Flanigan
        -Wage and price freeze
              -Timing
                    -August
                    -September
                    -Steel strike
                    -Psychology

Polls
        -[Louis P. Harris ?]
        -Presidential approval
              -Iowa and Ohio
        -George H. Gallup

Support for administration

          -Instructions for Colson
                -F. Bradford Morse
                -Weicker
                      -Congressional Republicans
                      -Connally
                -Liberals
                -Jacob K. Javits
     National economy
          -Status
                -Strength
                      -Retail sales
          -Public perception
                -Harris polls
                      -Influences
                            -Politicians
                            -Media

Also recorded on August 3, 1971

  • 269-013 9:57 AM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and James D. Hodgson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:57 am to 9:58 am.
  • 269-014 9:59 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and J. Curtis Counts met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 9:59 am to 10:02 am.
  • 269-015 10:02 AM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:02 am and 10:19 am.
  • 269-016 10:02 AM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:02 am and 10:19 am.
  • 269-017 10:02 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:02 am and 10:19 am.
  • 269-019 10:32 AM · 55 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:32 am and 10:34 am.
  • 269-020 10:32 AM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 10:32 am and 10:34 am.
  • 269-021 10:34 AM · 1 hr 28 min — President Richard M. Nixon, George P. Shultz, Henry A. Kissinger, John D. Ehrlichman, Andrey Pontier, Benjamin F. Biaggini, and John B. Connally met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 10:34 am to 12:00 pm.

All 51 conversations from August 3, 1971 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 269-018, August 3, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/269-018 (accessed September 18, 2026).